Namibia (B)
While the exclusion of Jan Nicol Loftie Eaton from the T20 World Cup squad has grabbed the headlines, there are plenty of big names in the Namibia squad.
All-rounder David Wiese is a journeyman T20 player while the likes of captain Gerhard Erasmus and pacer Jan Frylinck bring a wealth of experience with them.
This squad boasts nine players from the team that got the team out of the group stages in the 2021 edition in UAE – the southern African nation's first appearance in a global cricketing tournament in close to two decades.
The Eagles followed it up with a second consecutive T20 World Cup appearance the following year in Australia, and started with a bang, beating former champions Sri Lanka by a big margin before falling prey to Scotland and UAE, thereby losing out on a spot in the Super 12s.
This time Namibia have been drawn in Group B and will play Oman in their tournament opener in Barbados on June 2 before squaring off against Scotland, Australia and England. The Eagles played Oman in five T20Is in Al-Amerat in April and won the series 3-2, after being 2-1 down.
KEY PLAYER
Gerhard Erasmus
The 29-year-old all-rounder is the captain of the Namibia team and arguably the best player of this squad. He boasts a healthy average of 32.65 with the bat, including a century against fellow qualifiers Uganda in 2022. Erasmus is also quite handy with the ball, having taken 43 wickets in 57 matches at an average of 13.06. The Namibia captain is coming into the global event with form with the bat and the ball.
SQUAD
Gerhard Erasmus (C), Zane Green, Michael Van Lingen, Dylan Leicher, Ruben Trumpelmann, Jack Brassell, Ben Shikongo, Tangeni Lungameni, Niko Davin, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, JP Kotze, David Wiese, Bernard Scholtz, Malan Kruger, PD Blignaut
Stat Attack
T20 World Cup Appearance: 3rd
T20 World Cup Performance: Played 11, Won 4, Lost 7
DID YOU KNOW?
Jan Nicol Loftie Eaton holds the record for the fastest century in T20Is, getting to the landmark off 33 balls against Nepal this year.
FORM GUIDE: L, NR, W, L, L, W, L, W, L, L
Comments